“Welcome to the Jungle” is the gritty anthem of urban survival from Guns N’ Roses’ 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction. While the track captures the chaos of the Sunset Strip, bassist Duff McKagan eventually traded the “jungle” for academia.

Seeking to understand the band’s complex finances, McKagan enrolled at Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics. That journey led him to co-found Meridian Rock, a firm dedicated to educating musicians on wealth management—proof that a solid educational foundation can be just as essential as a hit record, even for rock legends.

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